Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum Specialist

Position Summary: The Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum Specialist is responsible for training implementation and assisting in the curriculum design for the Evolve project. Over the next three years, Youth Guidance will test an innovative approach to scaling social-emotional learning Circles to improve student outcomes. Youth Guidance will train 3-5 school staff per school to facilitate Evolve circles while also providing training to all school staff on creating healing-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive schools.

The Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum Specialist will support in this effort, working collaboratively with the Manager of Curriculum Design, the Director of Professional Development and Curriculum Design, the Director of District Partnerships, Evolve Evaluation Manager, and design consultants. The Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum Specialist will travel as needed (30%) to facilitate training and coaching with school-based Evolve Circle leaders and observe curriculum implementation.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Leads the implementation of the Evolve Training Academy, the program’s school-staff coaching strategy to build the capacity of Evolve Circle leaders that support trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices

• Assists the program team in the creation of the Evolve Circle leaders coaching strategy to support the curriculum and professional development implementation

• Provides ongoing training at Evolve Circle leader's coaching sessions

• Conducts informal/ formal observations of the Evolve Circle Leaders and provides written feedback on observations.

• Supports the Evolve circle leader recruitment strategy, working closely with school staff to select, survey, and interview potential Evolve circle leaders

• Assists the design efforts and adaptations of the Evolve curriculum, a structured social-emotional learning group curriculum that supports students in forming a positive identity, developing healthy relationships, and engaging in school

• Works collaboratively with the Evolve Evaluation Manager to iterate curriculum design as warranted

• Collaborates with the Manager of Curriculum Design, Director of Professional and Development, and Curriculum Design and design consultants to ensure that best practices in the fields of social-emotional learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, positive youth development, trauma-informed care, and evidence-informed interventions are integrated into program design

• Participates in ongoing staff development, as needed, to stay current with ongoing program area trends

• Assures the agency’s core values and key concepts are interwoven into program design and implementation, as allowed by program stakeholders

• Supports builds and shares best practices for positive student outcomes.

• Ensures curriculum is developmentally appropriate.

• Ensures the curriculum meets the individual needs of the children.

• Ensures classrooms have necessary supplies and equipment to provide for students' Emotional Learning needs.

• Supports school staff with tracking and monitoring student data.

• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

Education/Experience/Training

• Master’s Degree in education, social work, psychology, human services, or counseling
• 3-5 years of work experience in education, human service, youth development, or social service field
• 1-5 years of work experience in social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum development or SEL program implementation
• Experience working in and with schools and school staff
• Experience in creating and facilitating professional development for school staff on trauma-informed practice, social-emotional learning, and culturally responsive schools
• A minimum of 3 years of working in or with an urban education system with a focus on social, emotional, and behavioral support is strongly preferred.
• Experience in a Middle or High School setting is preferred.

Skills/Abilities

• Proven leadership and organizational abilities
• Highly organized with proven ability to handle multiple tasks, handle pressure and meet deadlines
• The ability to work well both independently and cross-functionally
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Demonstrated passion and dedication to the agency’s mission and the continuous improvement of service quality
• Succinct and clear verbal and written communication skills
• Strong coaching skills
• Strong interpersonal skills that excel in cultural sensitivity and respect for differences
• Ability to function in group and team settings with the capacity to be solutions-focused, task-driven, and innovative in those settings

Core Competencies:

• Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening
• Client orientation: Recognizes needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation, to ultimately maximize the impact
• Equity mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of equity, consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace
• Growth mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if the change is required, demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn
• Ownership and quality of work: Effectively manages own work, and the work of the team to ensure delivery of high-quality work
• Supervisory skills: Effectively manages and develops others
• Mission drive: Demonstrates commitment to the missing of the organization as a whole and alignment with organization values

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is to stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stoop, kneel, and crouch

• The employee is to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, and viewing a computer terminal.

• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• The duties performed are primarily in a school setting and working with the public, COVID-19 vaccination is required

• Frequent travel - must be willing and able to travel nationally/internationally monthly for up to one week stays

DEI Statement

At Youth Guidance, we understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We celebrate the diversity of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences. At the same time, we acknowledge that many systems and institutions meant to support youth are inequitable and unjust.

As such, we are committed to advancing DE&I through our words and our actions, both internally and externally, by:

• Strengthening cultural competence as well as policies, practices, and organizational structures that foster belonging and leverage the unique backgrounds and talents of staff;
• Offering youth-centered programs that are accessible and responsive to people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, language, and cultural and religious beliefs and practices;
• Influencing systems that youth, their families, and communities are impacted by, such as schools, organizational networks, governmental bodies, researchers, and the funding community, to apply approaches that embrace DEI in addressing the needs and supporting the aspirations of young people.

Youth Guidance is an equal-opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Youth Guidance does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity along all of these lines. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

EOE/M/F/D/V/SO